


Take a Look at the Lawman

by AnonManon



Series: Cryptid Steven Universe [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Cryptid Steven Universe, Dondai Supremo - Freeform, Empire City (Mentioned), Episode: s04e09 Last One Out of Beach City, Gen, Not Beta Read, Ocean Town (Mentioned), POV First Person, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s06e20 The Future, Remember the cop from LOOBC?, Steven Universe Travels The World, This is about that person, Two Shot, keystone, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:47:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonManon/pseuds/AnonManon
Summary: Once upon a time, Pearl, Steven, and Amethyst were chased by a cop on the way to a Mike Krol concert.Two years later, Steven leaves Beach City.The cop still remembers.
Series: Cryptid Steven Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739491
Comments: 23
Kudos: 203





	1. Written From a Car in a Denny's Parking Lot

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to tell the story of the cop in "Last One Out of Beach City", for some reason.
> 
> Posted on tumblr here: https://pink-hero-search-podcast.tumblr.com/post/614058290852380672/i-dont-know-the-kid-personally-but-i-know-the

I don't know the kid, but I know the car. Used 1996 Dondai Supremo, light gray. Delmarva plates and a "Dad On Board" bumper sticker on the driver's side rear window.

The first time I saw that car was about two years ago. I was a beat cop in Ocean Town and eager as hell to get on the next bus to Empire City. One day, I get a notice saying that there's gonna be a house party later that night and they want some officers stationed around the area just in case anything happens. We draw straws and I end up on patrol that night. I'm plopped near Beach City and they tell me to wait for something interesting.

About twenty, thirty minutes later, I get a notification from a traffic cam that somebody in a '96 Supremo ran a red light a few miles from my position. Right as I'm reading that, there goes a Dondai doing about 70 in a 55. I radio that I'm in pursuit and I flip on my sirens. When I catch up to them, we stay at the same speed for about a minute and I think it's gonna be an easy night, but before I know it, the Supremo takes off like a rocket and I'm nearly left in the dust.

I floor it, call the plates in for reckless driving. They ask if I need any backup and right about then is when I notice the "!!USED!!" sticker. I know my cruiser isn't new, but I'm fairly sure that the Supremo could be its grandpa, and that it'll run out of gas before I do. I tell them not to bother with backup and try to catch the thing on my own.

We weave through the road on the way to Ocean Town, drifting over this and jumping over that and doing all kinds of fancy things that still make me nauseous just thinking about it. I'm distracted for two seconds by another call and when I look back, the car's gone.

I dunno where they could've gone. There were only the open road and the "Ocean Town - No Longer On Fire" sign ahead of me. I search for a long while afterward, no sign of them. I figure they must've got caught by someone ahead of me, I go back to the station and do the paperwork, and I forget about that night.

Well, after that, I get bounced around a few departments here and there and eventually, I end up Keystone. It's a nice little place with a nice little diner that I'm addicted to, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

Well, I get there one morning and a light gray Dondai Supremo pulls up next to me. I don't think much of it until the kid gets out of the car. Now, practically everyone in my department knows the kid by reputation, he's like a celebrity. And I'm not the kinda guy who goes up and asks for an autograph but I still needed proof to show my buddies that I saw the kid. So, I get out of my car and I'm gonna snap a couple of photos when I see a bright red sticker on the passenger's side rear window.

"!!USED!!"

Now, it's been a while so it doesn't immediately click, but I know in the back of my head that it's something significant, so I walk around and I check the plates.

Delmarva.

I think, "No. No! There's no way in hell..." But just to make sure, I walk around to the other side. Lo and behold...

"Dad On Board."

Dad.

On.

Board.

I rushed back into my car and started typing this up. I can see him in the diner window and he's sitting alone. I'm not gonna give him a ticket because what would be the point, at this point? But I just need to know if it was him driving that night and why he was driving the way he did (if it was him driving to begin with).

Wish me luck.

\- M.


	2. The Kid and I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cop meets the boy. They talk things out.

As soon as I go in the diner, I spot the kid and make a beeline for a booth near him. He's got a kind face. Doesn't look like the sort of guy who'd blare rock music out of his window in the dead of the night and lead a cop in a high-speed chase, but you never really know people.

The waitress, Dot, comes out carrying a full plate of waffles and gives it to the kid. She comes up to me and I order my usual with a glass of water instead of coffee. She goes off, and I don't even have time to form a plan when I see the kid stand up, carrying his plate. Well, right now, I'm thinking "what the hell am I gonna do, I have minimal time and maximum questions" but then the kid sits down right across from me.

"Hi," he greets, cheery and chipper.

"Hi," I parrot back.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not sure where to go from here. I have my badge in my breast pocket but I don't wanna just pull it out 'cause I know it's probably gonna freak the kid out and we're not gonna get anywhere if we're both panicking.

"Uh..." the kid begins, picking at his waffles with his fork, "I saw that you were... taking selfies, I think? Out near my car?"

So he did see me. That makes this much easier.

I lean forwards. "I know that car," I tell him.

He rubs the back of his neck. "It's kinda famous now, isn't it? I've seen some stuff about "Pink boy" and "Pink hero" on TubeTube, which is... kinda weird? But in a good way?"

I nod. "So, that Dondai..." I thumb out to it. "It's always been yours?"

"Well, it was my Dad's first," he explains easily. "But now it's mine, yeah!"

Dot comes back carrying a plate of hot eggs and bacon like a prized trophy (which they might as well be, in my opinion). I smile at her, nodding. The kid says "Thanks, Mrs. Addams!" and she responds with a hearty "You know you can call me Dot, honey!"

Now there are only two people who are allowed to call that woman "Dot": me and her partner. I figure that this must be one hell of a kid if he's gotten into that upper echelon of society.

And then, I look at him, I really look... And I don't see a question to be answered, or some mysterious cryptid out to save everybody from themselves. I see a kid in a diner, with nothing but potential ahead of him.

I dip the white of my eggs into the yolk and lean back into my the cushions of the booth as I take a bite and look at the sun just peeking over the clouds, lighting up the diner with a soft golden hue.

It's almost tempting to let this go.

"Is that a badge?" Steve asks, pulling me back to the booth.

I glance down to the little piece of gold metal blinking up at me from my pocket.

Cat's out of the bag, it seemed to say. Do what you came here to do.

I take a deep breath. "Kid..."

"Steven."

I give my name right back.

"Look, Steven," I say, "I have seen that car before. And it wasn't on TubeTube, or Tumblr, or Cheeper, or whatever you kids are using these days. The first time I saw that car..." I pointed to it, a smoking gun bathed in the summer sun of a diner parking lot. "Was two years ago, when I was chasing it from Beach City to Ocean Town in the dead of night."

The kid -- Steven -- looks confused for all of two seconds before his eyes widen in disbelief.

"That was you?" He asked.

I nod.

The kid starts laughing and I do too. I mean... it's a hell of a reason to come out all this way, right?

Steven wipes the tears away from his eyes. "Okay, uh..." he manages through the giggles. "I can tell you what happened, but it's a bit of a crazy story."

I lean back in the booth with a grin. "I got nothing but time."

...

A few minutes later, we say our goodbyes and I watch as that Supremo pulls out of the parking lot and onto the next great adventure. And I start thinking, maybe it's time I start my next adventure, too.

I'm going to Empire City with somebody special next week and if things work out, Universe willing, then we'll be having a wedding.

If there's anything I wanted to say, it would be this:

Thank you, Steven. And wherever you are now, whatever you're doing... I hope your heart feels just as light as mine does. I hope you know the impact you're having. I hope you give yourself credit for it.

And I hope you find everything you're looking for.

\- M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so fun to write, and I hope you enjoy it!


End file.
